Sky Bet Championship midweek preview

16 September 2014

Dan Connor

We look ahead to the midweek action in the Sky Bet Championship

Tuesday 30th September 2014

Brighton & Hove Albion v Cardiff City

The Seagulls (17th - 9 points): Picked up a valuable point in a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest at the weekend. They haven't won in the Sky Bet Championship for five matches, since they beat Bolton 2-1 at the Amex back in August.

The Bluebirds (15th - 12 points): Ended a five-match winless run by beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on Saturday. Appointed Russell Slade on a consultancy basis on Monday. Cardiff are yet to win on the road, drawing three of their four away matches.

Battle of the birds: These sides are closley matched in the history of this fixture, with Brighton taking 22 wins to date, to Cardiff's 21, alongside 18 draws.

Derby County v Bournemouth

The Rams (6th - 16 points): Won 2-0 away to Bolton last time out, taking their unbeaten league run to six games - a sequence that has seem them enter the Play-Off places for the first time this season. They've lost just twice at the iPro in the league in 2014.

The Cherries (14th - 12 points): Overcame Wigan 2-0 last time out for their first three points in six. They've not struggled for goals on the road, with eigth in four away matches.

Cherry picking: Derby County have won three of their last four games against Bournemouth, conceding just once in that period.

Middlesbrough v Blackpool

Boro (7th - 16 points): Drew 0-0 with Charlton Athletic at the weekend – their first draw of the season – which came after three consecutive league victories. Albert Adomah was sent off at Charlton so will miss this match.

The Tangerines: Lost 3-1 at home to top-of the table Norwich City on Saturday, despite taking an early lead at Bloomfield Road. They are now the only side in the entire Football League not to record a victory this season.

Goal-shy: Blackpool have scored just four goals this term. Only one of them has come on the road.

Millwall v Birmingham CIty

The Lions (16th - 11 points): The 2-1 weekend defeat to Middlesbrough was the latest chapter in what has been a miserable month for Millwall, having taken just one point from a possible 12 during September.

The Blues (21st - 7 points): Lost 2-1 at home to Fulham on Saturday, meaning they are now without a win in eight in all competitions. They haven't won on the road so far but have overcome the Lions 20 times, compared to Millwall's nine victories in this encounter.

Goals galore: 35 goals have been scored over the last eight clashes between these two.

Norwich City v Charlton Athletic

The Canaries (1st - 20 points): Came from behind to beat bottom-of-the-table Blackpool 3-1 on Saturday, moving them to the summit of the Sky Bet Championship table. Have dropped just seven points all season, and haven't lost since the opening day.

The Addicks (8th - 15 points): The division's draw specialists were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Middlesbrough at the weekend. They have now drawn six times this season with five coming in their last six outings and remain unbeaten.

Rotherham United v Blackburn Rovers

The Millers (14th - 12 points): Lost 2-0 to in-form Ipswich Town at Portman Road last time out and are now without a victory in five. They've won just once at home all season, and taken two points from the last 15 available in the league.

Rovers (10th - 14 points): Drew 2-2 with Watford at Ewood Park on Saturday. They've averaged two goals per game so far this month. Ryan Tunnicliffe, Tom Cairney and Lee Williamson are all vying for a first-team place and fresh legs will be needed after four games in two weeks.

Reunited: This is the first time these two teams have met in a league fixture since 1983, having only faced each other in cup competitions in the last 31 years.

Sheffield Wednesday v Ipswich Town

The Owls (9th - 15 points): Lost 2-1 at Cardiff City on Saturday. Prior to that, they'd been enjoying a decent September with seven points from a possible nine. Kamil Zayatte is availbale after serving a ban, while Tom Lees is sidelined.

The Tractor Boys (5th - 17 points): Have now won four on the bounce after a 2-0 victory over Rotherham at the weekend. Their 100 per cent record in September has lifted them to within three of leaders Norwich. Jonny Williams has returned to the club on loan from Crystal Palace.

Watford v Brentford

The Hornets (4th - 17 points): Drew for the second game in a row at Blackburn on Saturday, having also won one and lost one this month. Billy McKinlay takes charge for the first time after Oscar Garcia stepped down on Monday.

The Bees (12th - 14 points): Beat Leeds United 2-0 at the weekend to recover from back-to-back defeats that saw them concede seven times. They've won three of five away from home in all competitions this term.

Multiple stings: Watford are unbeaten in 14 matches against Brentford, stretching back to April 1977.

Wigan Athletic v Nottingham Forest

The Latics (18th – 8 points): Have lost three of their last four, most recently against Bournemouth. Callum McManaman missed that match but is expected to return for this clash.

Forest (2nd – 19 points): Have drawn three of their most recent four games, including their last two 0-0. Matty Fryatt could return up front, adding firepower to their front line. Andy Reid, Chris Cohen and David Vaughan remain sidelined.

Wednesday 1st October 2014

Leeds United v Reading

The Whites (13th – 13 points): Darko Milanic's first game in charge ended in defeat to Brentford, after the team previosuly went four unbeaten. They've triumphed in three of their five home games so far.

The Royals (11th – 14 points): Battled back to draw 3-3 with Wolves on Sunday. They have won four meetings on the spin against Leeds and are undefeated against their midweek opponents in eight overall.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Huddersfield Town

Wolves (3rd – 18 points): That draw with Reading was their third in four outings and they are yet to lose since the second round of matches this season. They possess a 100 per cent home record with four wins from four at Molineux so far.

The Terriers (20th – 8 points): Overcame Millwall 2-1 last time out for Chris Powell's first victory as boss. Three of their four away games have ended in defeat and they have the second leakiest defence in the division, conceding 19 times.

Six on the bounce: Huddersfield have won six consecutive games against Wolves and haven't lost to them in 10 encounters stretching back to 1997.

Fulham v Bolton Wanderers – 8pm kick-off

The Cottagers (23rd – 4 points): Recorded their first victory at the ninth attempt on Saturday. While their away matches have featured 23 goals, Craven Cottage has only witnessed five goals so far, four of those being scored by the visiting team.

The Trotters (22nd – 5 points): Have lost their last two to continue their poor start to the campaign. They've lost all four of their games on the road this term, scoring once and conceding seven.

It's been a while: Fulham and Bolton haven't met in The Football League since 2001. Their 22 league clashes since have all been in the top flight.